Please see the post Drama!Drama!Drama! for the beginning of this series.

Okay, so here you are. You have this epiphany with the LORD and you have this wonderful drama that is anointed and you know things are moving along with power. This is a trap; and it can be avoided.

Remember that no matter how powerfully the HOLY SPIRIT is leading you into doing something in your church and no matter how anointed you “know” it is going to be, do not forget to be under submission to your pastor.

What? The Pastor doesn’t understand your need for drama as a ministry tool? Submit. He doesn’t seem to share your enthusiastic view of the production? Submit. You know that you are more on top of this anointed presentation than your pastor? Whoa! You better submit as quickly as you can!

Trust me, you need to be under a covering to begin with anyway. Don’t go it alone. Partner up with your church and church leaders. The enemy would like to subvert what GOD gave you and you may just provide the opportunity for your good idea to be ill spoken of hindering the good work to be done. Use wisdom and evaluate your motives.

First of all, never demand of your pastor. That should just be out of respect of the position of authority a pastorate has, but common courtesy works a long way in accomplishing your goals.

Arranging a play date with your pastor.

Let me tell you a story: I once knew that my very first production was from GOD. I literally had the most anointed two weeks with the LORD when HE gave it to me. I saw “movies” and I heard songs in my head, in the morning, afternnoon and at night. I even saw them in my dreams!. Scenes were played out before me enabling me to see how they would move in real time. At the end of this two week period I felt I had just come off of the mountain top like Moses after spending time with GOD in a lofty place. This is a true story.

Now I presented this cantata to my pastor, Paul Williams, Sr., and his wife (she was over the choir and special presentations); and it went excellently in my presentation. They absolutely loved what GOD was doing in my life and with this play. Then came to the time of “when”. I wanted it on Easter Sunday, when the most people would be there, as it was long enough to take an entire service. Pastor agreed after a long time, but he struggled with his responsibility to preach the WORD of GOD on that day. I had no idea what he was talking about, I just knew that I had to do this play.

Anyway the play was a rousing success and for our little church to have salvations at the end was joy beyond joy.

It wasn’t until I spoke with my friend, Pastor Jack Darida, who now pastors at Quaker Gap Baptist Church in King, North Carolina, in how he structures specials and presentation in a holiday season. He showed me that, as a pastor, he always spoke on the Easter Sunday and Christmas Services, but any specials or drama presentations were done the week prior.

I pondered this. What had I done to my pastor? I had made him make a decision about not preaching an Easter service. How ignorant of all things I was. All I could see was that I had a hot burning media event and it had to go NOW. I hopefully have matured since then. If GOD gave me that hot media event (and HE did) then surely if it were truly from GOD then it could be done on a day under authority.

As it works out, the next time we did the Easter play, we did it the Sunday prior to Easter as to not interfere with Pastor’s message. And you know what? The Sunday prior to Easter is Palm Sunday anyway? What a spiritual maroon I was (as Bugs Bunny would say) But I learned the message. My pastor loved me enough to let me present the Easter play on Easter, but I will never ask that again of him. I now always secure a date under his authority the week before. Preaching of the WORD of GOD is a priority. Drama is a ministry tool, but should never fully replacing the pastoral charge to preach.

Learn this lesson well, drama team leaders. Honor your pastor. Don’t put him in a bad spot intentionally. Remember this the next time you have a burning message from GOD, even in the wonderful amazing moments of GOD revealing to you that message of Scripture as you have never understood it before and showing you what HE wants you to do…..you still don’t know everything. And that very GOD WHO gave you that message also established a pastor. Let GOD work out the timing.

If GOD wants it done, it will get done. But always honor your Pastor in this manner.

Till next post,

Storm Shelter.